


Free Falling

by Outrageously_Ordinary_Typist (Gaining_Aim_and_Shoot)



Category: A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band)
Genre: Drama, M/M, Minor Injuries, Romance, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 12:32:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15119486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaining_Aim_and_Shoot/pseuds/Outrageously_Ordinary_Typist
Summary: Junhee and Donghun are part of a freerun group in town. Junhee has leg injuries which could prevent him from ever freerunning again. Things get more complicated for him when he starts having visions in which he sees Donghun have a nasty fall and die. He’s caught between telling Donghun the truth about his condition or lying and using magic in hopes of saving his boyfriend.





	Free Falling

Junhee had a pillow tucked to his chest while stretched out on the couch. He was watching a movie with his feet propped up and cold packs attached to his legs. Through the TV noise, he heard his best friend Sehyoon at work in the kitchen. Sehyoon was brewing up some sort of potion that would help Junhee with his sleeping problems.

The movie had interested Junhee at first, but due his sleepless nights, he was too tired to focus on the action. He had no idea what the movie was about anymore and all he wanted to do was close his eyes, however he knew what he would see then and resisted against his body’s needs.

A loud knock on the front door managed to drag him into full consciousness again.

“Sehyoon, can you-?” He called out to his friend, but was interrupted.

“Already on it.” Sehyoon said and Junhee heard him opening the door.

“Oh, Donghun. What a surprise, come in.” He said it loud enough, so Junhee could hear and it worked as a warning.

Junhee grabbed the cold packs from his legs and threw them over the back of the couch. Then he pulled a blanket over himself to cover up his swollen calves. Lastly he fumbled for his phone.

He checked whether Donghun had called of texted him and Junhee had perhaps missed it. But, no such thing. It was unusual for Donghun to come round without notice. Then this was a surprise visit?

Junhee would be ecstatic if it weren’t so inconvenient.

Sehyoon walked in with Donghun in tow. Junhee still lost his breath whenever he saw his boyfriend, especially ever since he dyed his hair a bright red. Somehow he managed to pull it off better than anyone else.

“Hi, Jun.” Donghun greeted. He sat down on the armrest of the couch beside Junhee’s head. “How are you feeling?” He asked. His hand was placed on Junhee’s cheek and he softly stroked his chin.

“I’m fine.” Junhee replied and shared eye contact with Sehyoon. His best friend was giving him a look that screamed, ‘Park Junhee, you liar!’

“That’s really good.” Donghun said.

Junhee’s words had lifted the frown from Donghun’s face and he smiled. And god, how much Junhee adored that smile and wanted to never give Donghun a reason to be worried again.

“You still look like you got trampled by a drove of horses though.” He commented.

Junhee knew his face currently wasn’t in the best state and he looked as miserable as he felt. However, he didn’t need his boyfriend to tell him that. “Gee, thanks a lot.” He said sarcastically

The bags under his eyes might as well have reached his chin. His eyes were red and irritated, a side-effect from all the crying he had been doing ever since he went to the clinic.

“How did your checkup go? I told you to call, but you never did.” Donghun said.

He mistook Junhee’s conflicted expression as guilt and asked, “Did you forget?”

It gave Junhee an easier way to lie. “I did. I’m sorry, but I texted you, didn’t I?”

“Texting: ‘I went to the doctor and now I’m back home’ is leaving out a bit of details.” Donghun said with a little chuckle. “So tell me.”

For a second Junhee thought of telling him the truth. Donghun’s sad-looking eyes had that effect on him. He didn’t want to lie, but he was even more afraid of his nightmares coming true. So he lied, “The doctor said that my legs are already recuperating.”

“Ergh, ugh.” Sehyoon coughed. He was being as subtle as a brick through a window. At times like these Junhee really wanted to strangle him.

Donghun turned around to look at Sehyoon idling around the room. The older man’s eyes narrowed and Sehyoon noticed his mishap. He spoke, “All the love in this room is choking me up. Look at you, being affectionate boyfriends and all.” Sehyoon knew he made zero sense and he felt like he made things awkward now.

Donghun only laughed, while Junhee felt like taping Sehyoon’s mouth shut with duct tape. “Sehyoon, are you making potions again?”

“Yes?” Sehyoon answered insecurely. He didn’t really get why this was relevant to their conversation.

“Is it possible you inhaled some of the fumes?” He asked.

Sehyoon nodded and added unconcerned, “Most likely. Yeah.”

“What kind of potion are you making?” Donghun asked curiously. His interests in magic had always been big, but he had no special gifts himself or if he had, it hadn’t developed yet.

They were all adults so chances of developing magic powers now were slim.

“You know…” Sehyoon trailed off and rubbed his neck. “A bit of this and that. Some experimentation.” He blatantly lied and hoped it couldn’t be read on his face. He felt like him and Junhee were getting better at lying, not that it was something to be proud of.

Donghun’s gaze was piercing, as if he was trying to look through Sehyoon. Then he scrunched up his nose. “Do you smell that?”

Sehyoon sniffed before crying out, “Oh my god, my potion!” He sprinted to the kitchen in hopes of salvaging his creation.

Donghun laughed loudly and told Junhee, “Sehyoon’s being extra weird today.”

“Really?” Junhee asked. Sehyoon had been living in his house for nearly two weeks now, so he was used to his everyday behavior. “He usually acts like this. Don’t tell him, but I think he’s trying to hide the fact he’s lonely.”

Donghun chuckled and said fondly, “He must really miss Byeongkwan.”

“You have no idea.” Junhee sighed. Sehyoon wasn’t the type to share his negative feelings with others. He wasn’t a crier like Donghun, so Junhee had trouble comforting him when he seemed sad. “They see each other sometimes, but hardly enough.”

“Kicked out of his home, barely seeing his boyfriend, living with you… I’d start taking in those fumes as well if I were him.” Donghun said in a joking manner.

Junhee slapped Donghun’s chest and commented, “Hey now, don’t be rude.” He had to smile though. “I’m a good house mate.”

“I know you are.” Donghun replied instantly without jest. There was a longing in his voice and Junhee knew exactly why.

A month ago Junhee had decided to move back home. The constant ache in his legs had been growing stronger each day and he couldn’t live with Donghun in their apartment anymore when he had to climb three sets of stairs every day. If only the elevator hadn’t broken down, then he could’ve managed. The decision to move out had been a terribly difficult one.

They spend a moment staring in each other’s eyes and Donghun leaned in for a kiss. Junhee tensed up and the muscles in his legs protested against the strain. He tried to muffle his grunt and placed a hand on Donghun’s lips. He softly pushed him away.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled with closed eyes, feeling like a damn idiot.

He didn’t want to look at Donghun, because he knew what his expression would be. Those damn sad eyes.

“Are you in pain?” Donghun asked.

How much Junhee wanted to tell him he was, he knew what would come, so he shook his head. “I’m fine.”

“If you say so.” Donghun replied. He didn’t look convinced though. It seemed like he was going to say something about it, but at that moment their phones beeped simultaneously.

Donghun slid his phone out of his pocket and said, “A freerun is planned this weekend. I’m-“

“I’m coming with you.” Junhee added immediately, hastily.

Donghun opened his mouth to protest. “But you can’t.”

“At the checkup the doctor said I was alright to do physical activities again. I’ll just take it a bit easier and hang back more.” Junhee said. He hoped that would convince Donghun, who was normally quite stubborn.

“Fine.”

Junhee’s eyes widened in surprise. Donghun must miss him more than he was letting on, otherwise he’d never give in this easily.

“Really?” It was out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

Donghun’s only response was a sigh. A frown had appeared on his face again and Junhee felt a pang of guilt in his gut. Donghun blankly stared straight in front of him for a minute, before shaking himself out of whatever daydream he was having and planted a peck on Junhee’s cheek.

Then he stood up with the words, “I love you.” He spoke tenderly and ran a hand through Junhee’s dark hair. “I need to go now.”

“Okay.” Junhee replied. “I love you too.”

Donghun’s eyes softened. “I’ll text you.”

Junhee groaned loudly when Donghun left and he threw his arms over his face. Sehyoon came to check on him and sat in the armchair across the couch.

“We’re getting better at this.” Sehyoon commented.

“What?” Junhee spoke. His voice came out muffled behind his arms.

“Lying to him.” Sehyoon said dryly, not an ounce of pride to be heard in his voice.

Junhee raised one arm to peer at his best friend.

Sehyoon continued, “Are you finally going to tell me why, or am I just going to have to make a truth serum?”

Junhee replied resolutely, “It’s complicated.”

“Everything always is with you.” He said and noticed Junhee was still lying on the couch with a blanket covering him instead of the cold packs the doctor had recommended.

Sehyoon stood up from the armchair and walked around the couch. “Seriously, you threw them here?” His voice was a mix of exasperation and amusement. “You’re absolutely hopeless.” He held up the cool packs, which had lost a bit of their coldness. Sehyoon took them to the kitchen to put them in the freezer again.

Junhee groaned, “I had little time and even less creativity. As long as Donghun didn’t see, I’m fine.”

Sehyoon poked his head out of the doorway and furrowed his eyebrows. “You keep saying that, but you’re not really fine, are you?”

He came back in, holding a vial in his hand, and placed it on the coffee table. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have asked me to brew you a sleeping potion.”

Junhee didn’t really know what to say to that, but he’d rather choke than say Sehyoon was right.

“Tell me what’s up. I’m worried about you and I promise I’ll keep my mouth shut.” Sehyoon assured.

“I have nightmares…” Junhee admitted. He was notably scared and lines of concern appeared on Sehyoon’s forehead.

Junhee’s lips trembled. “In which I see Donghun die.”

Sehyoon slumped down in shock. “Nightmares… as in visions? Seeing the potential future?”

Junhee felt emotions welling up inside him, but he suppressed them. “It happens during the freerun, I can’t let it come true.” His words were adamant.

He would not let his boyfriend die before they were both old and grey.

“But your legs are going to fall off.” Sehyoon said alarmed.

Junhee rolled his eyes, which Sehyoon noticed. He pursed his lips. “Okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration. Still, your legs are busted.”

“That’s why I need to have a chat with your boyfriend.” Junhee said.

Sehyoon cocked his head. “What do you need Byeongkwan fo- No, no. I don’t allow you to!” Sehyoon protested. “Who knows what he’s going to ask of you!”

Junhee spoke through gritted teeth, “I’m not asking your permission. Whether you like it or not I’m going to ask his help.”

Sehyoon was inwardly seething and Junhee knew he had every right to. Still, it wasn’t going to change his mind.

“Instead of a sleeping potion, I should’ve made one to wipe out all the stupid ideas you have.” Sehyoon scoffed.

“If you ever manage to make one, I’ll let you try it out on me.” Junhee joked.

Sehyoon’s mouth quirked up in a half-smile and Junhee counted that as a victory.

“First, you should test this one and see if it works.” Sehyoon motioned to the vial on the coffee table.

Junhee took a hold of it and undid the cap. The scent made him reel back in disgust. “This is really vile.” He whined.

Sehyoon winced, “Well, you kind of made me burn it.”

When Junhee looked even more grossed out, Sehyoon added, “I’m almost certain it won’t have any side-effects, other than… uh, the smell.”

“Almost certain?” Junhee repeated. He eyed the potion warily.

Sehyoon cracked his knuckles, like he was ready to force the potion down Junhee’s throat if he refused. “It’s not like I’ve had a lot of opportunities to practice.” He defended himself.

Junhee rubbed his eyes and yawned. “Yeah, I know. With your parents banning magic and all.”

Sehyoon nodded and then pointed at Junhee, “Look, you’re tired… just drink it and sleep.”

Junhee exhaled loudly and muttered, “I don’t really have much of a choice here.”

He pinched his nose and drank the potion in one big gulp. He nearly coughed it all back up. Ugh, there were no words to describe how awful it tasted and only half of it had to do with the burning.

“This isn’t a potion, it’s poison.” He choked between coughs and tears started collecting in the corners of his eyes.

Sehyoon pouted a bit. “Way to bring down a man’s confidence.”

“I think…” Junhee started and was caught in a coughing fit again. “I think I’m actually dying.” It was at that moment that the effects of the sleeping potion kicked in and he was out like a light.

“Jun?” Sehyoon said, “Park Junhee?” His voice raised in pitch. “Dammit, you better not actually be dead.”

Sehyoon’s potion had worked brilliantly. It was so effective Junhee’s sleep was completely dreamless. However, as soon as it wore off, he saw the visions again.

Donghun fell. His head hit a ledge and he bled out all alone. Junhee felt Donghun’s desperation deep in his bones. No one would find him and he couldn’t call out for anyone. Eventually his final breath left his breath and Junhee screamed, like every time he had that nightmare.

At least this time he managed to rest peacefully for a few hours without those cruel visions torturing him. This hadn’t been enough to completely catch up on his sleep, but it was a start.

Junhee’s dad was in the kitchen when Junhee woke up. His back was sore from lying in the same position on the couch for too long.

“Dad?” Junhee called out to him weakly. His voice was hoarse. He hoped he hadn’t screamed out loud during his nightmares, but one look from his dad told him enough.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered.

His dad sat down in front of him and frowned. “You have nothing to be sorry about.” He added with a chuckle, “That I know of at least.”

Junhee managed a tentative smile. “I asked Sehyoon for a potion to help me sleep and it worked… slightly.”

“You can’t expect the boy to work miracles.” His dad replied. “Only starting to learn magic when you’re an adult is tough. It’s harder to control.”

Junhee spoke hesitantly, “My powers are hard to control too and I’ve had them all my life.”

“I know.” His dad knew what he was hinting at and sighed, “You have a gift, Junhee.”

“It seems more like a curse sometimes.” Junhee said with a scoff, “I’ve seen terrible things and when I see nice things, it’s like a surprise party is being spoiled.” He complained.

He was reminded of when he had seen him and Donghun get married in his visions. The first time he had that vision he hadn’t even met Donghun. It warmed his heart though and he guessed it was also nice knowing which color scheme would fit their wedding.

His dad smiled knowingly and said, “Your visions reflect what you’re feeling. When you’re sad, they show you sad things. So, you know how to change that.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“I never said it was.” His dad made a lot of sense when he wanted to. “But instead of thinking about Donghun potentially dying, think about your wedding instead. You two have an entire life ahead of you.”

Junhee’s cheeks reddened involuntary. Why did his dad of all people have to be a mind reader?

He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, thanks for the advice, dad.” He said.

Somehow his dad’s advice had helped a little. His nightmares were still there, but they varied at times. If he focused on the details rather than the bigger picture, he would worry less. The Donghun in his nightmares was wearing yellow shoes and that was ridiculous because Donghun didn’t even own yellow shoes. Trivial things like that calmed his thumping heart when he lay awake at night.

 

He checked the texts from the freerunning group him and Donghun were both part of. It was the morning before their meetup and Junhee was anxious.

Donghun had also privately sent him messages, mostly about how his day went. It calmed Junhee a bit and reading Donghun’s ‘I love you’s made him smile.

Junhee asked Sehyoon to bring him to the city park. Sehyoon agreed, but also mentioned he wouldn’t stay to see Byeongkwan. He needed to head to work anyway.

Junhee figured Sehyoon just didn’t want to be around when he struck a deal with a shifty deity, even though he was Sehyoon’s boyfriend.

Sehyoon had remained silent during the drive to the park, but as he turned off the engine he said, “We’re here.”

Junhee spoke up, “If I had any other choice, I would’ve taken it.”

“You could’ve told Donghun the truth.” Sehyoon replied aptly.

Junhee nodded. “I know.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m a coward.”

“No, you aren’t.” Sehyoon argued. “An idiot, yes, but not a coward.”

Junhee suppressed a sob that came out of nowhere. Now wasn’t the time to cry. Sehyoon noticed and hugged him. “It’s going to be alright.”

“Thanks.” Junhee breathed out in relief. “I’ll…” He paused to part from the embrace and looked at Sehyoon. “I’ll tell Byeongkwan you want to see him.”

Sehyoon protested, “You can’t. No wants, desires or wishes. First rule of dating a deity.” He added, “He’d come in a heartbeat, but it wouldn’t mean anything. Just tell him I said hi.”

“Okay.” Junhee said. “He’ll come around soon. I promise.”

Sehyoon rolled his eyes and shrugged. “I have no expectations anymore.”

 It was obvious that Sehyoon did care, but he pretended not to. He patiently waited for Junhee to step out of his car. “I’ll see you at home. Good luck.” He gave his best friend a thumps up. Junhee waved in response.

Junhee’s pain had subsided a bit over the past days and the doctor had said that was normal. She also told him the minute he’d start exercising or running, the pain would return and the recovery time would only expand. Walking around in the park didn’t hurt at all, but he could feel a bit of tension building in his legs. He would never be able to run and climb on buildings this afternoon. Not on his own strength at least.

He arrived at an old tree, which was carved and covered entirely with intricate symbols, and placed his hand on it for support. With his other hand he wiped the sweat off his forehead.

“Byeongkwan! I need to talk to you.” He called out to the deity.

“Ah, Sehyoon’s friend.” A voice spoke from… above Junhee?

Byeongkwan jumped out of the tree and landed on the grass like a cat. “Junhee, was it not?”

“I am.” Junhee said.

He would forever be rendered speechless at Byeongkwan’s appearance. He had soft pink hair, unnaturally light eyes and pale skin, that was a bit too pale for Junhee’s liking, but he could see why Sehyoon was attracted to him. Byeongkwan seemed to glow from the inside out.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Byeongkwan asked.

Junhee took a deep breath and then said, “I need your help.”

He bit his lower lip when he saw Byeongkwan’s eyes gleam deviously.

“Is that so?” Byeongkwan questioned. His words were slow and dripping with ill intent.

Junhee sighed, “Look, can you stop acting so shady? I don’t like it.” He added, “And something else. Sehyoon said hi.”

Byeongkwan’s eyes softened at that and he said, “He did? That’s sweet, I guess.”

“You guess?” Junhee repeated in disbelief. “The dude is madly in love with you, but obviously you don’t seem to care one bit.”

Byeongkwan seemed speechless for a second before he replied, “I do care. I’m just trying to give him time.”

“What for? I think he know exactly what he wants.” Junhee said.

“What does he want?” Byeongkwan licked his lips. He was fishing for an answer, but Junhee saw it coming.

“You can’t stop riling me up, can you?” Junhee complained.

He realized now why Sehyoon had been so serious about not using the words ‘want’ or ‘wish’. Byeongkwan was a deity after all and an opportunistic one at that.

He guessed he should just state the facts. “Sehyoon is living with me now and he’s practicing his magic. I doubt he told you that last time you spoke.”

Byeongkwan’s words came out vexed. “He didn’t.” His expression hardened. “He got kicked out of his home?”

“Partly, he also want-, decided to leave.” Junhee said. “He’s doing okay though.” He assured Byeongkwan. “I just thought you’d like to know he’s made some decisions. The ball is in your court now.”

Byeongkwan mulled over his words in silence.

“I see…” He was strangely serious. “Then it’s time to talk about our…” He pretended to retch, “… _feelings_.” As if the thought alone made him sick.

Junhee had a feeling he was feigning his disgust because he saw him glow a bit brighter than before.

When it looked like Byeongkwan would leave with a snap of his fingers, Junhee yelled, “Wait!”

Byeongkwan halted with a hand on his hip and clicked his tongue. “Right, you wanted my help.” He leaned against the tree, his head right beside Junhee’s. “What do you want me to do for you?” He whispered. His breath teased Junhee’s ear.

Junhee shook his head and flinched away from Byeongkwan. He stood in front of the deity and said, “My legs are weak, but I need strength.”

Byeongkwan narrowed his eyes. He crouched down and touched Junhee’s legs to inspect them. “How long do you need this strength?”

“One day. That’s all I’m asking.” Junhee pleaded.

Byeongkwan shook his head. “You’re not capable of handling that much magic directly in your bloodstream for so long.”

“What!” Junhee seethed.

If Byeongkwan couldn’t help him, no one else could. He balled his fist and lashed out, but Byeongkwan was quicker and avoided his swing. He twirled around and bound Junhee to the tree with his magic before Junhee could even blink twice.

The deity paced around in front of him, while Junhee struggled frustrated and helplessly. He groaned and growled at the deity.

“If you were anyone else, I would have giving you it and laughed in your face as you suffered through the entire day, but I’m offering you an alternative.” Byeongkwan said and released Junhee from his binds. Junhee rubbed his wrists and gave Byeongkwan a distrustful look.

“I’ll give you wings. They’ll carry you and relieve your pain.” Byeongkwan explained and he waved his hand. Two translucent wings appeared on Junhee’s back at Byeongkwan’s command. The pain flowed out of his body and he felt as light as a feather.

Junhee’s new wings raised him an inch above the ground, before disappearing again. Junhee slumped and Byeongkwan sighed, “You’re very incompatible with my magic, Junhee. You can’t actively use them to fly or they’ll disappear instantly.”

Junhee nodded. No flying, he understood.

“You must also know, everything comes at a price.” Byeongkwan grinned wickedly. “I’ll give a discount though.” He added.

“What do you want from me?” Junhee eyed him warily. Just now Byeongkwan had tied him to a tree effortlessly, so there was no way of knowing what else he would do. Deals with deities were usually tricky and usually the loss you suffered wasn’t worth the gain.

“Nothing much.” Byeongkwan leaned closer and whispered his price.

“Is that with the discount?” Junhee asked appalled. He gulped down his feeling of dread. “How are you even going to take that from me?”

Byeongkwan gave him a look that asked, ‘Do you really want to know?’ Junhee unconsciously shook his head. Byeongkwan tapped his feet impatiently on the ground. “Do we have a deal or not?”

Junhee huffed. He hardly had a choice here. “Yes, we do.” He hoped he wasn’t going to regret this.

Byeongkwan snapped his fingers and the wings had reappeared on Junhee’s back. “They’ll be invisible for the regular human eye. So I doubt anyone will notice.” He said with a slight smile.

“Thank you.” Junhee said gratefully.

“Don’t thank me just yet.” Byeongkwan warned and then he disappeared into thin air.

Junhee looked around in confusion. He checked behind the tree trunk, because Byeongkwan was the type to pull that sort of trick. However, he had disappeared for real. Hopefully he had gone to find Sehyoon to make up to him.

Junhee walked out of the park with a bounce in his step. It had been a long time since he had felt this good, this energized. He was ready to do anything now, running, jumping, climbing.

In the afternoon he met up with his friends in their regular restaurant. They usually left all of their stuff there and would come back after their freerun to eat dinner.

He walked in and had someone hanging around his neck instantly. It was Kang Yuchan.

“Oh my god, Junhee! I missed you so much.” Yuchan said excitedly.

Rayoon grabbed Yuchan by the shoulder to pull him off of Junhee. Rayoon had one arm slung around Yuchan’s back and one around Junhee’s shoulder as he said, “We’re all glad you’re back.”

“Thanks.” Junhee replied and he looked around for Donghun, but couldn’t find him. “Where is my… handsome boyfriend?” He asked deadpanned, making the others laugh.

“Fashionably late as usual.” Yuchan answered jokingly. They sat down at their table, Yuchan across from him and Rayoon next to him. Junhee left a spot open for Donghun. His boyfriend wasn’t late very often, but when it happened, it always had something to do with his outfit or hair.

Yuchan added, “I think he went shopping with his brother.”

For a miniscule moment Junhee was vexed and a senseless feeling of jealousy washed over him at the fact Yuchan knew and he didn’t.

“You don’t check your phone that often, do you?” Yuchan joked.

“Ah.” Junhee exclaimed.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and sighed once more. Donghun had indeed texted him, multiple times, as well as Sehyoon.

Rayoon whistled, “Damn, that’s a lot of unread messages.” He read along over Junhee’s shoulder.

Junhee jumped and pressed his phone to his chest. His eyes were wide when he looked at Rayoon.

The blonde man showed a toothy grin and teased, “Have you got something to hide?”

Junhee chuckled awkwardly, “Of course not.”

He had noticed the half a dozen unread messages from Sehyoon and he was quite certain he didn’t want anyone else to read them.

Junhee frowned at the first message. _I locked myself in the bathroom at work._

And then he read the rest of the messages and it made more sense.

_I’m stuck because **someone** told Byeongkwan to come find me when I’m at work. _ Junhee could feel Sehyoon’s aggression, rightfully directed towards him, through the text. _At work!_ Sehyoon had added again.

_And now I’m locked in for real._ He noticed the time between this text and the previous one was big. Nearly five minutes.

_Byeong-freaking-kwan magicked away the lock._ Junhee noticed there was less time in between the rest of the texts now. _He won’t let me out until we talk about our feelings._

_Wtf did you tell him?_

_PARK JUNHEE!_

After that, there were no more messages. It slightly concerned Junhee. He texted, _You still alive, bro?_

When Sehyoon didn’t reply after a while Junhee reached two conclusions, either Sehyoon had actually died or he was currently too occupied to look at his phone. Junhee hoped for the latter.

He didn’t have anymore time to worry about that when Donghun entered the restaurant. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of his boyfriend and ever since they made things official, he didn’t have to try to. Yuchan laughed loudly and held out a napkin to Junhee. “To wipe the drool off your face.”

Junhee scoffed. “Ha ha, very funny.”

Their relationship gave their friends more reasons to tease them though.

Donghun walked up to their table and instead of sitting down, he suddenly raised one foot on his chair.

“I bought new shoes.” He said proudly.

“Yellow, huh? I thought you were going to go for the purple ones.” Yuchan commented.

Donghun smiled. “It was a tough decision.”

The redhead sat down next to Junhee and turned to his boyfriend. “Jun, are you feeling okay? If you’re not up to it…”

“I’m fine.” Junhee gritted out. The two others stared at them with concern. Donghun backed off with a shrug.

Seeing the yellow shoes, the shoes Donghun was wearing when he… died in his nightmares, felt like having the air knocked out of his lungs. His mood plummeted and an uncomfortable knot settled in his stomach.

He tried focusing on something other than his boyfriend dying and noticed something strange about Donghun. “Have you been crying?” He asked.

“Of course not.” Donghun said and he raised a hand to touch the areas around his eyes that seemed a bit swollen and irritated. “But my eyes have been a bit more sensitive lately.”

“Allergies maybe?” Junhee suggested.

Their conversation was cut short when Woojin, their unofficial leader spoke up. “If everyone’s ready to leave, we can head out.”

His close friend, Minho added, “We planned the route last week. It’s a bit of a tricky one.”

The parkour was tricky indeed. Even though his rusty skills probably had a part in it. The others were taking it slower than usual as well. He was feeling the impact of the many landing rolls in his bones and he caught up to Woojin to tell him about it. “You know there are older people than you here as well, right?”

“There’s three years between us. That’s not a lot.” Woojin replied. “Minho wanted the first part to be tough, since we’re going to climb higher and he’s not joining in for that.”

“Fair enough.” Junhee replied.

They vaulted over a fence and ended up at the entrance of a two-story parking garage. They ran through the dimly-lit area. In an attempt to show off Rayoon ran up to the wall and did a backflip. His landing was a bit wobbly, but overall a success.

Yuchan clapped and laughed with sparkling eyes. He was obviously impressed. Rayoon had a smile playing on his lips, but he downplayed his flip with a shrug.

They were both so oblivious.

Junhee rolled his eyes and was about to turn to Woojin to ask him if he saw it too, but he had already moved on. Instead Donghun stood next to him. “Should we give them a push in the right direction? Or…”

“They’ll figure it out on their own.” Junhee replied. “By the way, helping one couple a day is more than enough for me.”

Donghun frowned. While they used the fire escape ladder to get on the roof, he asked Junhee, “Wait, what?”

“Sehyoon and Byeongkwan.” Junhee said, as if that explained everything.

He held out his hand for Donghun to grab and the older man looked up at him and grabbed his hand. Donghun did a double take, did he…? It must’ve been a trick of the eye, or the light. But for a second there, he saw wings on Junhee’s back.

He lost track of what they were talking about and he was stumped until Junhee squeezed his hand. “Um, Hun, are you going to stay down there?” He questioned with an amused grin.

“Oh.” Donghun exhaled and pulled himself up. He was still speechless and fixed his eyes on Junhee’s back, but whatever he saw must’ve not been real, because there was no sign of the so-called wings now.

They were running for a while, jumping from one rooftop to the next when Donghun remembered. “So, Sehyoon and Byeongkwan… How did you manage to reunite the star-crossed lovers?”

“I had a few words with Byeongkwan.” Junhee said.

Donghun furrowed his brows and inquired, “You talked to him?” He added, “Today?”

It was common knowledge that Byeongkwan was a deity and it was only natural to avoid him when you had no business with him. So, it was quite suspicious that Junhee met up with him. “I just couldn’t deal with Sehyoon moping around all day. It affected my mood as well.” Junhee believed there was nothing wrong with stretching the truth a little bit.

“Well, I guess as long as it worked it’s fine.” Donghun noted.

Junhee laughed, “I got some interesting texts from Sehyoon and then complete silence, so I think they’re more than fine.”

“You think they’re…” Donghun trailed off. After a curious look from Junhee, he made an odd hand gesture. “You know.”

“What? Fucking?” Junhee put it so frankly. “Who knows? I honestly don’t care as long as they don’t do it in my house.”

Donghun huffed out a laugh. “Seriously, Jun.”

They paused as Woojin took the lead and wall jumped to get up to a higher platform. He held his arm out for the others to grab as they too jumped up to the platform.

Yuchan took in the view and he felt for his phone in his pockets. Then he realized he left it in his backpack in the restaurant. He did want to take a few pictures, so he asked Donghun if he could borrow his phone.

“Sure.” Donghun said without hesitation and handed it over.

Woojin told Yuchan, “You can wait with taking pictures, because we’re going to go even higher and the view there is fantastic.”

Yuchan wanted to hand Donghun’s phone back, but Donghun just told him to keep it for now.

They continued their climb and Woojin hadn’t been joking about that view. They reached the highest rooftop in their neighborhood and the view was stunning. The sky was clear and the sun was just about to set, casting an orange glow over the entire town.

They lay down in the middle of the rooftop. They were all exhausted, except Yuchan, who was running around gleefully, taking pictures left and right.

“I’m starving.” Woojin exclaimed loudly.

“We all are.” Rayoon stated. “Is there perhaps an elevator on the way down?” He joked.

“Nope. Unfortunately not.” Woojin replied and tapped Rayoon’s thigh. “Come on. I promise the way down is easier than up.”

Rayoon nodded, sat up and stretched his legs. Then he proceeded to follow Yuchan around and they took a bunch of selfies together with the sunset behind them.

Junhee watched them with a fond smile and then his eyes moved to the man he loved. Donghun had his eyes closed and he breathed slowly. His forehead, cheeks, nose, mouth, chin, Junhee knew everything like the back of his hand and he was so scared of losing it all.

He wanted to trace all of Donghun’s features again, but before he could do so, Donghun murmured, still with his eyes closed. “I can almost feel your eyes boring into my skull.”

Junhee dropped the hand he had unconsciously raised and stayed silent.

Donghun looked up at him and whispered, “Why do you look so sad?”

Junhee had many reasons, none of which he could tell Donghun.

He was afraid of losing this perfect man, seeing him suffer and in pain. He didn’t think he’d survive the heartbreak. This was also probably the last time he’d be able to freerun and watch a sunset on a rooftop with Donghun and he couldn’t savor it properly, because Donghun didn’t have the slightest clue.

“We’re leaving now.” Woojin called out to them.

Junhee opened his mouth, but Donghun was quicker. “Give us a minute or… five.”

“Ooooooh!” The other guys made fun of them, but they ignored their whistles.

They sat in silence for a while before Donghun walked towards the edge of the rooftop. He blew out a breath.

“You’re not talking to me anymore, Jun.” He commented.

“What are you saying?” Junhee asked and he couldn’t keep the panic out of his voice. “We talked the entire way up here.”

“Not about things that matter.” Donghun said while he looked down at his feet. “But, it’s not like I’m entirely blameless either.”

“I don’t understand.” Junhee replied and stood up. What was Donghun not telling him?

“I need to tell you something…” Donghun began and he glanced at Junhee. Once again he saw wings protrude from his back. He saw them clearly now. They were undoubtedly wings.

His vision turned completely blurry and he could only see vague shapes and colors. His eyes stung like being pricked by a needle and his head was spinning. He gasped for air, “My eyes are burning.”

Junhee looked on in worry. Donghun was hunched over in pain and was rubbing his eyes violently. He watched helplessly as Donghun struggled. “Donghun, please.” He pleaded, “What do I do?”

Donghun’s eyes were bloodshot as he opened them. Feeling the wind brush his sensitive eyes made him recoil and move back. Junhee watched in horror as he lost his footing and fell.

Before he could think, he jumped after Donghun and closed the distance between them by flapping his wings. He grasped Donghun’s arms and held him close to his body. He fought to keep him pressed to his chest as they crashed into a ledge.

There was an enormous pressure on Junhee’s chest that pushed the air out of his lungs. He panted and sucked in shaky breaths.

Thankfully the wings had broken his fall, but they were gone now.

“Donghun.” Junhee whimpered. Donghun still hadn’t reacted and Junhee feared for the worst.

The older man groaned and opened his red eyes. “What happened?”

Junhee breathed a sigh of relief, “You’re alive.” He felt the weight of the situation crash down onto him. His nightmare came true, but somehow he managed to prevent the horrible outcome. “You’re actually alive.” He said gratefully and raised a hand to cup Donghun’s cheek.

“I fell.” Donghun recollected. His mind was a bit foggy. “You had wings.” He said uncertainly.

Junhee remembered Byeongkwan’s words. The wings were supposed to be invisible to the regular human eye. “You weren’t supposed to be able to see them.”

“I’ve seen a lot of strange things in the past few weeks.” Donghun admitted. “I don’t know what’s happening to me anymore.”

Junhee tried to be calm, in order to reassure Donghun, “We’ll figure it out, okay?”

Donghun nodded and said, “What now?” He looked at their surroundings. The ledge they had fallen onto was barely sturdy enough to hold them and there was even less room to maneuver around.

“We should try getting down from here.” Junhee suggested. However, the second he shifted his legs, he was seized by excruciating pain.

“Damn it!” He sobbed as he slammed his hand hard on the wall in frustration.

After he lost his wings, the pain had returned tenfold. The wings had done nothing but mask his pain for hours and now he was facing the consequences.

“Jun, please. Calm down.” Donghun begged. “Can you move?” He asked.

“Does it look like I can?” Junhee sniped back. Tears were rolling freely down his cheeks.

Donghun wiped Junhee’s tears away and huffed, “I know you’re upset, but we need to stay calm.”

“Upset?” Junhee parroted in disbelief. That was the biggest understatement of the year. Arguing wouldn’t do them any good now, so instead he said, “We should call for help.”

Donghun winced, “Chan still has my phone.”

Junhee groaned before saying, “Mine is in my back pocket.”

He let Donghun pat his back pockets in search of his phone. He pulled it out only to find the screen completely cracked. He pressed the button, but it refused to turn on.

“Well, that’s busted.” He commented and Junhee grabbed it out of his hand and flung it away. Donghun gave him an incredulous look. “What did you do that for?”

“I’m in pain and I needed to throw something. My only other option was you, so be grateful.” Junhee gritted out through his teeth.

He asked, “So, what else can we do now?”

“We’ll just have to wait until the others come find us.” Donghun replied and Junhee dropped his head against the concrete in defeat.

Donghun noticed Junhee’s legs were swollen and asked, “Did that happen just now?” Junhee hesitated and Donghun immediately noticed. “And don’t you dare lie to me again.”

“As if you haven’t lied to me. You just said you’d been seeing weird things for weeks and you’ve not said a word.” Junhee argued.

Donghun tutted, “Don’t try to change the subject. Tell me what’s going on with you.”

Junhee bit his lip and closed his eyes. “I lied about the doctor, okay? She didn’t tell me I was in the clear to sport again. Not even close.”

Donghun’s expression hardened. “Then why lie?” When Junhee kept his mouth shut, Donghun raised his voice. “Why did you lie?”

“Stop shouting at me!” Junhee yelled in return. He rubbed his forehead and explained, “The past weeks I’ve been having nightmares.”

Donghun knew what that meant.

Junhee continued, “I dreamt of this day in particular. Instead I wasn’t here to catch you when you fell.”

“So… I died?” Donghun questioned carefully.

Junhee nodded. He didn’t want to cry anymore, but his tears just kept coming. “I’m sorry.” He said.

“Why are you apologizing?” Donghun asked.

Junhee pursed his lips. “I know you hate hearing me talk about my visions because they scare you. So that’s why I hid them.”

“Idiot.” Donghun said affectionately. “The reason I don’t like hearing about them is because I hate seeing you afraid.”

“We’re both idiots.” Junhee commented and Donghun had to agree.

They stayed quiet for a while, until Donghun broke the silence. “So, the wings?”

“Byeongkwan’s handiwork.” Junhee replied.

“I figured.” Donghun remarked. “But making deals with a deity, isn’t that going a bit far?”

Junhee glowered at him. “I thought you were going to die, I was willing to go to hell and back if I had to.”

“What did he want?” Donghun questioned curiously.

“Our firstborn.” Junhee said matter-of-factly. He sneakily checked Donghun’s reaction. His eyes were wide and his mouth opened and closed like a fish. Junhee grinned and let out a laugh, “I’m only joking. I just wanted to see the look on your face.”

Donghun rolled his eyes and repeated, “What did he want?”

“My… depth perception.” Junhee scoffed. “I have no idea how he’ll take that or why.”

“He’s making sure you’ll never pull a crazy stunt like this anymore. Without depth perception, I doubt you can estimate the distance between things anymore.” Donghun continued with a smile, “Thinking about it, he actually did us all a favor.”

“Seriously?” Junhee grumbled. “But I need that stuff, don’t I? Like when crossing the road?”

“We’ll figure it out, okay?” Donghun used Junhee’s own words to make this promise.

Junhee nodded. “Alright.”

He shifted a little and muffled a groan.

“Are you still in a lot of pain?” Donghun asked concerned.

Junhee chuckled sadly. “Nope, it’s all a bit numb down there.” He added, “I doubt that’s a good sign, but it’s better than mind-blowing pain.”

“Is it?” Donghun asked.

“Do you want to share some of that pain?” Junhee raised his fist, but it was an empty threat.

Donghun pried Junhee’s fist opened and entangled their fingers. “To be honest, you brought this upon yourself.” He said smugly.

“I saved your ass!” Junhee complained. “Don’t make me regret it. What am I saying? I already am.”

“You better stop talking.” Donghun warned. When Junhee gave him a challenging expression, he leaned in and closed the distance between their faces. They kissed and Junhee’s expression softened as he relaxed into Donghun’s mouth.

“You’re infuriating, you know that?” Donghun muttered against his lips.

“Of course. You keep reminding me every day.” Junhee replied.

Donghun’s mouth quirked up. “And I’ll keep doing it for the rest of our long and happy lives.”

He had to let Junhee know that he was here to stay for the rest of their lives together.

“Happy? With you?” Junhee teased. “I don’t know about that.”

Donghun spoke bluntly. “You deserve to have your legs chopped off.”

Fortunately, the severity of his leg injury wasn’t that extreme, but Junhee did need a surgery after they had finally gotten down to safety with the help of their friends and the emergency services. Even though Junhee was scared and worried, he had Donghun by his side.

“It’s going to be okay. I’m here.”

**Author's Note:**

> Always feel free to ask me stuff or message me on tumblr as well @all-things-ace-and-ace


End file.
